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Immigration authorities in Malaysia have made some big moves to improve congestion at the Causeway, and the results are starting to show.

The arrival hall on the Malaysia side, which has a maximum capacity of 3,000, can now be cleared in three hours instead of the previous four to five hours, said Malaysia's Immigration Department director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud.

This is partly due to the recent move to allow Singaporeans to use e-gates previously reserved for Malaysian passport holders.

Since the change was rolled out on Jan. 20, some 16,000 Singaporeans have scanned their passports while crossing over between Johor and Singapore.

However, this is "much lower" than the target of 35,000.

Khairul Dzaimee said flyers would be handed out to create more awareness of the option among Singaporeans, and "especially day trippers who visit Johor for shopping and other recreational activities,” he said, according to The Star.

Quick Response Team initiative yielding results

Khairul Dzaimee added that the implementation of a short-term initiative known as the Quick Response Team (QRT) initiative has also helped the situation.

Under the QRT initiative, more staff have been deployed to man counters, especially during peak hours, since Feb. 6.

This means 2,300 vehicles could be processed in one hour, an increase from the previous rate of 1,400.

However, this is only possible if motorists and passengers do not have clearance issues, and if they have sufficient value in their Touch 'n Go cards to pay the required fees.

Top image via Wikipedia